A judicial investigation has been opened against former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, after allegations that he received illegal funding from the late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi for his 2007 campaign. Sarkozy met Gaddafi in Paris in 2007 and has long denied wrongdoing.

Franco-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine launched the allegations against Sarkozy; Takieddine is under an unrelated investigation regarding arms sales to Pakistan in the 1990s.

There are rumors that Sarkozy is planning to run for presidential office again in 2017. He lost his bid for office last year, and thus lost immunity from prosecution that he received as head of state.

Sarkozy's 2007 election campaign is already being investigated regarding his tie to the heiress of the L'Oreal empire, Liliane Bettencourt, France's richest woman. While Sarkozy also denies these allegations, some say he took advantage of the 90-year-old in order to obtain funding for his successful campaign.